ARTICLES ABOUT EARLY VOTING BY DATE - PAGE 4

Early voting for next week's election ends Saturday. So far, Broward voters have swarmed to the county's 17 early voting sites. For the first six and half days of early voting, through 1 p.m Friday, 191,337 people voted early. That works out to more than 40 people a minute. In some locations, voters have had to wait for hours. At others, it's been quick. Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said the shortest lines have been at the Main Library in Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach City Hall, and the elections branch office in Pompano Beach.

One woman got a ballot already marked for Mitt Romney. A retiree reported two strangers purporting to be elections officials showed up at his door and asked for his absentee ballot. A poll worker was accused of telling voters to vote Democrat. As early voting nears its end, complaints trickle in from voters anxious to protect the sanctity of the system. With tens of thousands of voters filing into polling places in Broward and Palm Beach counties, snafus and shenanigans can be expected, officials said.

Events • The Rev. Al Sharpton, the MSNBC commentator, is scheduled to appear Saturday at rallies in communities with large black populations: Noon at the Lauderhill Mall, where there's an early voting site, and 2 p.m. at the E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Pompano Beach. • Organized labor is holding early voting rallies on Saturday, at 9:30 a.m. at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 719, 2502 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, and at 10 a.m. at the Broward Teachers Union, 6000 N. University Drive, Tamarac.

While voters waited an hour or two at the West Regional Library in Plantation, they got occasional outbursts of entertainment and encouragement from Democratic activist Jasmin Barnaby. If you looked young, and she found out you were a first-time voter, watch out. "We've got a first time voter," she'd yell, pulling the young voter out for support from the crowd. Barnaby said she arrived at 5:30 a.m., to help "make them feel good and let them know I'm proud they're spending this much time.

Time starved and looking for convenience? Can't wait to give President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney your vote? Sick of all the politics and just want to get it over with? Early voting, which starts today at 17 locations in Broward County and 14 locations in Palm Beach County , is the answer. For the next eight days, people can go to any early voting site in the county in which they live from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The last day of early voting is Nov. 3. Be forewarned: Long lines are almost certain, at least some of the time, said Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes.

People looking to vote early starting Saturday can take Palm Tran. The public bus system serves most of the sites across Palm Beach County . Early voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Nov. 3. Service to voting locations include: Belle Glade City Hall, Routes 47 and 48; Boca Raton City Hall, Routes 1, 91 and 92; Delray Beach Public Library, Routes 70 and 81; Hagen Ranch Road Library, Route 81; Jupiter Branch Library, Route...

Republicans are still unhappy about the locations of Broward's early voting sites , which they say are concentrated in areas that are more favorable to Democrats. Bob Wolfe, a co-chairman of the Romney campaign in Broward and founding president of the Lauderdale Beach Republican Club, said there are vast areas in northeast Broward - home to many Republicans - without convenient access to early voting. Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said Republicans need to direct their complaints to the Florida Legislature.